Our fundraising reached new heights last week when we were able to set a fundraising goal and reach it with the help of many people.  We raised $20,000!  That money will help us introduce hundreds of thousands of Utah voters (particularly those living in districts where we have candidates) to the United Utah Party.  Thank you so much to those who donated to help us reach that goal.

Part of that effort was the silent auction.  This was the first time we had done something like this.  Deon Turley, our secretary, set up the site, contacted people about donating, and supervised the auction.  Jared Oates provided the technical help to make this happen.  We raised $1577 that helped us reach the $20,000 goal.  Thanks to Deon and Jared for all their work.  Thanks to those who offered items.  And thanks to those who bid.  I bid on several items and got outbid on some of them!  Competition is something we want in online auctions, and also in Utah politics! 

If you did not participate in the online auction or donate to our July fundraising blitz and are not already a recurring donor, please help us by donating.  We use this money wisely.  It will go to fliers, signs, parade costs, booth costs, social media, etc.  We are using it to publicize our candidates and the party generally.  We are letting your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and all sorts of people know that the United Utah Party is here as an alternative to the partisan gridlock, divisiveness, incivility, and extremism that characterizes state and national politics.

We promote accountability and transparency (which we do not get in our one-party state).  We favor finding practical solutions rather than extreme ideological agendas.  We run candidates who will work with others who differ from them, rather than demonize them.

As you can see, our party and its principles are sorely needed in this day and age.  Help us make the party a reality by donating at unitedutah.org/donate. Be the change agent we need!

Volunteer . . . or Somebody Will Do It for You

Interview with Dave Westerby, newsletter editor of the Utah United Party

By Larry Alan Brown

When he was in high school, Dave Westerby won Frank Sinatra’s couch in a contest on WKNR radio in Detroit. Well, Sinatra only sat on it once, but it’s still pretty cool, right? Dave won it by flooding the station with more than 30 post cards loaded with puns. “I’m still a punster,” Dave admits, “But my wife Kathy hates it.”

Dave’s the guy who edits and sends out the United Utah Party’s weekly newsletters to keep everyone plugged in to the party’s activities. If you’re reading this email, Dave’s the guy who sent it to you. He said he didn’t have any experience putting out newsletters before party Chair Richard Davis tapped him for the role. “It’s hard to say no when kindly Richard asks directly,” said Dave.

Dave confessed that he was a nerdy kid in college but his parents shoved him out the door two summers in a row to work in the Grand Tetons and get some exposure to the real world. It must have worked because he met his future wife Kathy there while working as a busboy in the Jackson Lake Lodge dining room. “She was a cute little blonde waitress from California,” he said. While it might seem like meeting over dirty dishes would be a less-than-romantic place to fall in love, it obviously worked. They were married a few months later.

Dave, a retired lawyer, and Kathy spent a total of three years on LDS “legal missions” in Africa and Japan. In Africa he was legal counsel for the whole continent, providing advice to senior Church authorities. In Ghana and South Africa, Kathy – a retired elementary school teacher – devoted her time and energy to schools and orphanages.

Dave wasn’t all that interested in politics until he retired. Now he sees a great need for serious involvement. “We must make this party work because … of all of the divisive forces that are putting tons of bucks in (to the political system) to tear us apart,” he said. Dave believes that the United Utah Party, along with other groups such as No Labels and Unite America, is a critical organization that is needed to counter those forces.

The Westerbys live in St. George where Dave is one of the organizers who helped find locations for party caucuses and the Washington County convention. He is also the president of an LDS retirement branch. Dave and Kathy have been married 48 years. They have three daughters, one son and 14 grandchildren.

Larry Alan Brown is the author of “Choosing the ‘Right’: The Rise and Repercussions of Republican Politics in the LDS Church”

His website is www.larryalanbrown.com 

It's Not Too Late to Join a Parade

Mark is running for Utah House District 49, which is focused in the Sandy area.  He has been married for 40 years and lived in the same house in the district for most of that time.  Mark has an MBA, is a financial planner, has been on the board of trustees of Southern Utah University, and is a guest lecturer at the University of Utah and at SUU.  

The key issues for Mark are (1) education funding and class size, (2) term and campaign finance limits, and (3) independent redistricting.  

To get to know Mark better, watch his United Utah interview, go to his website, or watch his video message to you.  

Share your support of Mark Russell with your friends and neighbors in District 49.

Amy Martz (House District 42)

Amy Martz is running with a passion to make Utah a better place.  And she brings with her a broad range of tools to make it happen.  Look at all the letters she can put after her name:  JD . . . MPA . . . MEd.  She will be putting her legal, public administration, and educational skills together to further her goals (1) to improve public education, (2) for clean air, and (3) to restore civility.  

Amy has spent 30 years in various roles -- student, parent, teacher, principal, attorney.  She has seen and heard a lot of different points of views and perspectives and has learned to lead and accomplish positive results through collaboration and compassion.  She is ideally positioned right now to take a seat at the table, to listen, and to be heard intelligently to help bring about the goals of the United Utah Party.  Listen to her articulate message.    

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Amy is running in Utah House District 42, which covers the western half of West Jordan and South Jordan.  Look at her election website. She is ready for you to help her bring more sanity, openness, and collaborative problem solving to the Utah House of Representative.  

To help the party to elect these strong candidates, we need you to continue to

Our Summer Survey

Please click here to take our summer survey!  If you do, prizes just might come your way!